How do you define conservative?

[FreeinChrist]

I have read some stuff about what is is to be conservative and wondered - how do you define 'conservative'?

 

[JustAsIam77]

Conservatism is a political and social term from the Latin verb conservare meaning to save or preserve. As the name suggests it usually indicates support for tradition and traditional values.

Many threads on this subject. Search the archives. Not meaning to be obtuse.

Blessings

 

[Mobiosity]

Politically, in the US, conservatism is smaller government and giving everyone a chance to support themselves.

 

[FreeinChrist]

Conservatism is a political and social term from the Latin verb conservare meaning to save or preserve. As the name suggests it usually indicates support for tradition and traditional values.

Many threads on this subject. Search the archives. Not meaning to be obtuse.

Blessings

I don't have the time or desire to go hunting for them.

 

[FreeinChrist]

Politically, in the US, conservatism is smaller government and giving everyone a chance to support themselves.

My parents are in their eighties, and we were talking about how the view of 'conservative' seems to have changed. I remember when it 'small government'.
Now? it seems to mean so much more. I am curious how members of this forum view it.

 

[ReformedChapin]

I wish our SoF was still up. That's pretty much how I defined conservative.

 

[DD2008]

I define conservative in christianity as a christian who believes in the inerrancy of scripture as the written word of God and thus follows scripture out of conviction that in doing so they are following God's will by obeying his words.

I think anything else is liberal or worse.

 

[JustAsIam77]

I don't have the time or desire to go hunting for them.

Holding to the values and traditions the founding fathers of our country believed in. God, family and country.

The Constitutional rights that were laid down and supposedly not to be altered by future generations.

Abortion, gun control, illegal immigration, homosexual unions/marriage are a few examples of support by liberals and non-support by conservatives.

 

[FreeinChrist]

I live in Arizona and am familiar with the Goldwater Institute which is a conservative organization like Barry was. They have this in their description:

Like our namesake, the Goldwater Institute board and staff share a belief in the innate dignity of individual human beings, that America is a nation that grew great through the initiative and ambition of regular men and women, and, that while the legitimate functions of government are conducive to freedom, unrestrained government has proved to be a chief instrument in history for thwarting individual liberty. Through research, education, and litigation, the Goldwater Institute works to protect the rights that Americans recognize as fundamental.

Does that fit with your view?

 

[Cris413]

Conservatism is a political and social term from the Latin verb conservare meaning to save or preserve. As the name suggests it usually indicates support for tradition and traditional values.

Many threads on this subject. Search the archives. Not meaning to be obtuse.

Blessings

I define conservative in christianity as a christian who believes in the inerrancy of scripture as the written word of God and thus follows scripture out of conviction that in doing so they are following God's will by obeying his words.

I think anything else is liberal or worse.

Holding to the values and traditions the founding fathers of our country believed in. God, family and country.

The Constitutional rights that were laid down and supposedly not to be altered by future generations.

Abortion, gun control, illegal immigration, homosexual unions/marriage are a few examples of support by liberals and non-support by conservatives.

all of the above....

I particularly like "save and preserve" toward all aspects of conservative traditional views....orthodoxy, Scripture and social/political views

 

[JustAsIam77]

I live in Arizona and am familiar with the Goldwater Institute which is a conservative organization like Barry was. They have this in their description:


Does that fit with your view?

I've no problem with that statement. Goldwater would have been President if not for his nuke our adversaries policy.

 

[Izdaari Eristikon]

I live in Arizona and am familiar with the Goldwater Institute which is a conservative organization like Barry was. They have this in their description:


Does that fit with your view?

It does indeed, so far as the political side. But I'm afraid today's Republican Party has strayed so far that Barry Goldwater (one of my political heroes) would barely recognize it. The GOP has become too fond of big government, too owned by lobbyists (of course the Dems are too, just different lobbyists), and too dependent on appealing to would-be theocrats who are not true conservatives, but authoritarians. That's why I mostly vote Libertarian, because I think they're a better representation of Goldwater's ideal.

So far as conservative Christianity, I'd consider that to be holding to the essentials of the faith that all Christians should be able to agree on, pretty much what C.S. Lewis laid out in Mere Christianity. That differs from fundamentalism in that it doesn't require being Protestant: Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox can be, and often are, conservative Christians. And though it does require believing scripture is inspired and authoritative, it doesn't require biblical literalism.

 

[JustAsIam77]

It does indeed, so far as the political side. But I'm afraid today's Republican Party has strayed so far that Barry Goldwater (one of my political heroes) would barely recognize it. The GOP has become too fond of big government, too owned by lobbyists (of course the Dems are too, just different lobbyists), and too dependent on appealing to would-be theocrats who are not true conservatives, but authoritarians. That's why I mostly vote Libertarian, because I think they're a better representation of Goldwater's ideal.

So far as conservative Christianity, I'd consider that to be holding to the essentials of the faith that all Christians should be able to agree on, pretty much what C.S. Lewis laid out in Mere Christianity. That differs from fundamentalism in that it doesn't require being Protestant: Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox can be, and often are, conservative Christians. And though it does require believing scripture is inspired and authoritative, it doesn't require biblical literalism.

I agree with you with a small caveat, I'm a biblical literalist. I'll gladly still agree with your post. I'd be surprised if 5% of Christians are literalists. As you point out, it has nothing to do with "conservatism" in any event.

 

[Cris413]

Before I came to CF...I thought I was "just a Christian"....it was all so simple then....

 

[jax5434]

I have read some stuff about what is is to be conservative and wondered - how do you define 'conservative'

Conservative politically, or conservative in faith? They do not always go hand in hand.
Jax

 

[Simon_Templar]

In terms of the Christian religion, conservative Christianity is defined by the Nicean and Apostles creeds.

The over-view would be

Belief in the Trinity
Belief that God is the Creator of all things
Belief in the divinity of Jesus
Belief in the virgin birth of Jesus
Belief in the death and resurrection of Jesus
Belief in the ascension of Jesus Christ into heaven
Belief in the divine revelation by the Holy Spirit through the prophets and apostles (ie scripture)
Belief in the Holy catholic (universal) Apostolic Church
Belief in baptism for the forgiveness of sins
Belief in the physical resurrection of the dead
Belief in the life of the world to come

In the modern world we've often run into the problem of people claiming to believe in the scriptures, but then espousing doctrines which are obviously clearly against the teaching of scripture. In our particular day and culture two of the most common issues here are abortion and sexual morality. It is not uncommon for people to hold beliefs completely contrary to scripture on these issues and still claim to uphold scripture.

Also, the creeds do pose a couple of problems for many modern protestants. The two specific points that cause problems are baptism for the remission of sins and belief in the holy catholic and apostolic Church. There are quite a few groups who try to squeek around those without really accepting them. For example many protestants will say they believe in the ordinance of baptism (ie that christians should be baptized) but when you really dig into it you will find that they really believe that baptism is a mere symbolism and has no real connection to the forgiveness of sins (which is specifically stated in the creed).
Also, on the Church, many people avoid the real meaning behind this phrase while paying some lip service to a surfacy definition.

What that phrase really means is that there is one Holy Church which is defined by adherence to apostolic teaching and the catholic faith.. Catholic of course means universal and many people try to simply say this means that all believers are part of a spiritual body. What is actually meant by the creed is that membership in the Holy Church is defined by adhering to the universal faith, in otherwords the faith which was universally held by the Church from the time of the apostles.

Thus a group which holds teaching that significantly vary from the beliefs which have always been held by all parts of the Church in all times, is outside of the universal faith.

This would absolutely, unquestionably include all modern 'liberal' christian groups, as well as some of the more recent groups that have sprung up among the protestants.

 

[Izdaari Eristikon]

In terms of the Christian religion, conservative Christianity is defined by the Nicean and Apostles creeds.

The over-view would be

Belief in the Trinity
Belief that God is the Creator of all things
Belief in the divinity of Jesus
Belief in the virgin birth of Jesus
Belief in the death and resurrection of Jesus
Belief in the ascension of Jesus Christ into heaven
Belief in the divine revelation by the Holy Spirit through the prophets and apostles (ie scripture)
Belief in the Holy catholic (universal) Apostolic Church
Belief in baptism for the forgiveness of sins
Belief in the physical resurrection of the dead
Belief in the life of the world to come

Agreed. Though I have some minor quibbles about the wording (I'd go with the same creed but a more ecumenical version), that's what conservative Christianity is all about.

 

[FreeinChrist]

In terms of the Christian religion, conservative Christianity is defined by the Nicean and Apostles creeds.

The over-view would be

Belief in the Trinity
Belief that God is the Creator of all things
Belief in the divinity of Jesus
Belief in the virgin birth of Jesus
Belief in the death and resurrection of Jesus
Belief in the ascension of Jesus Christ into heaven
Belief in the divine revelation by the Holy Spirit through the prophets and apostles (ie scripture)
Belief in the Holy catholic (universal) Apostolic Church
Belief in baptism for the forgiveness of sins
Belief in the physical resurrection of the dead
Belief in the life of the world to come

Now I would see that as simply orthodox and not conservative necessarily.

My father was commenting that before Falwell's Moral Majority, Christianity was orthodox, unorthodox or in a range inbetween. What he didn't hear was conservative vs. liberal like you hear now. That comment sparked my interest, I guess, in that when I was young, I don't remember this 'conservative vs. liberal' dispute. It seems to me that the definition of each is real vague and flexible.

 

[Izdaari Eristikon]

I agree with you with a small caveat, I'm a biblical literalist. I'll gladly still agree with your post. I'd be surprised if 5% of Christians are literalists. As you point out, it has nothing to do with "conservatism" in any event.

Right. I put the bit about literalism in to distinguish conservatism from fundamentalism.

 

[FreeinChrist]

Conservative politically, or conservative in faith? They do not always go hand in hand.
Jax

That is true.

conservative in faith, I guess.